In his final remarks as president, Donald Trump tried to take credit for accomplishments of his predecessor and even those to come under President Joe Biden. read more
Parler, a social media website and app popular with the American far right, has partially returned online with the help of a Russian-owned technology company. read more
In lieu of the crowds of spectators that fill the National Mall for a typical inauguration, this year the iconic stretch of land will be filled with nearly 200,000 flags, representing the thousands of people who cannot attend because of the coronavirus pandemic and tight security in the nation's capital. read more
The storming of the US Capitol illustrated just how dangerous a conspiracy theory can be. In Germany, QAnon is gaining momentum " and its most ardent followers are sticking with Donald Trump. DW investigates.
A U.S. Army soldier was arrested Tuesday in Georgia on terrorism charges after he spoke online about plots to blow up New York City's 9/11 Memorial and other landmarks and attack U.S. soldiers in the Middle East, authorities said.
Speaking of the media... I note that the media is reporting...
Biden nominee Avril Haines confirmed as intelligence director
nypost.com
QAnon faces the music
www.axios.com
...Supporters of former President Donald Trump who thought he was about to stop the inauguration, seize power and crush his enemies were left blinking in the sunlight Wednesday as President Biden took the oath of office.
Why it matters: ...
Last Trump Job Approval 34%; Average Is Record-Low 41%
news.gallup.com
...As President Donald Trump prepares to leave the White House, 34% of Americans approve of the job he is doing as president, the worst evaluation of his presidency. His 41% average approval rating throughout his presidency is four points lower than for any of his predecessors in Gallup's polling era. Trump's ratings showed a record 81-percentage-point average gap between Republicans and Democrats -- 11 points wider than the prior record....
There's a graph in the article that shows how fmr Pres Trump's approval rating sank in the waning days of his administration.
Notice the declining trend at the end of fmr Pres Trump's term (having difficulty remembering to type "fmr" for some reason. {sigh})
@#100 ... Hypothetically, things should get better now that orange traitor is out of the way and onwards and upwards with control of the House, Senate and POTUS. Please do not spend too much time(any) trying to appease the traitors in the GOP. ...
I disagree with that excerpt to some extent.
Yes, things will get better because there is no longer a person in the Oval Office who puts his own narcissism above the needs of the Country.
That aside...
The GOP really needs to up their game, significantly. We, the Country, need a solid two-party system. We need the discussion of differing ideas to move the Country forward.
What we, the Country, do not need is having one of the parties so susceptible to wild, unsubstantiated conspiracy theories.
We need to get past the point where we currently are, where slim majorities dictate.
We need to get to the place where vigorous debates come to the better conclusions.
The History channel had a series called, America's Book of Secrets. There was an awesome episode about the LIbrary of Congress, showing how the knowledge of the Country is treated.
And if you engage in feedback loops, note that the Library of Congress website has a page for the show...
www.loc.gov
  :)
@#5 ... I wonder if they were Chinese-made. ...
Here's where I bought the flag that flies outside my house...
allflags.com
:)
@#5 ... The Parler-using bootlicker crowd has demonstrated how stupid they are by filming their crimes while in the Capitol. ...
Speaking of which, remember the Capitol police officer who was being crushed in a doorway by one of the insurrectionists?
First off, Officer Hodges seems to be OK, the local news showed him talking about the incident on this evening's news, saying the insurrectionists took off his helmet, took his baton and started to hit him on the head with the baton.
But the reason it was on the local news was that the person allegedly doing the pushing on the door, crushing Officer Hodges, lives a town from here.
Ridgefield man charged with 'savage beating' of officer in DC riot
www.theridgefieldpress.com
... A Connecticut man accused of a "barbaric" attack on a police officer during the breach of the U.S. Capitol grounds two weeks ago has been arrested, prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Patrick Edward McCaughey III, of Ridgefield, was charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officer or employees, civil disorder, entering restricted building or grounds, and violent entry or disorderly conduct.
The charges stemmed from his alleged role in what was described as a violent assault on an officer protecting the Capitol from a group of President Donald Trump supporters who stormed the building on Jan. 6 in protest of the presidential election results....
A video posted to YouTube captured a large group of rioters trying to break through a line of law enforcement officers during the insurrection at the Capitol, officials said. The video showed an individual, later identified as McCaughey, allegedly using a clear police riot shield to push Hodges, officials said. Video that has been widely aired showed the officer pinned between the shield and a door. Officials said Hodges was "loudly crying out in pain."...
@#2 ... He's got no way out from under the SDNY investigation and likely charges for tax evasion/fraud. ...
Note the latter is not solely Federal.
Along those lines...
Op-Ed: Why Trump Fears Leaving the White House (Nov 2020)
www.bloomberg.com
...Donald Trump is the luckiest man alive. Unlike almost, well, everyone, he's been protected from the consequences of his own mistakes his entire life....
Now, however, Trump is staring at two threats that loom after he leaves the White House in January. One is financial, the other legal. Neither is entirely under his control. I've had to deal with it, now you do also. :)
On the legal side of the ledger, Trump, his children and their company face aggressive investigations into their finances, accounting practices and tax payments.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office is investigating Trump for possible tax fraud and falsification of business records, according to appellate court filings. In this probe, which is also examining the president's payment of hush money to two women who allegedly had sexual encounters with him, the DA's office is seeking eight years of Trump's tax returns. It is also taking a look at whether Trump inflated the value of his properties and other assets in order to secure funds from lenders and investors.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has launched another investigation, also focused on whether the Trump Organization and the Trump family manipulated valuations to secure funding or engineer tax benefits. James's probe is a civil case, which could bring hefty financial penalties against Trump but no prison time (unless she finds reasons to recast it as criminal case). Vance's investigation is a criminal matter, however, and if the Trump crew is found guilty of felonies, prison time is on the table....
fwiw, the author of the OpEd, Mr O'Brien, is somewhat known in the NYC media area regarding [citizen] Trump. He's reported upon [citizen] Trump for years, and has even seen the ever evasive tax returns when [citizen] Trump lost the lawsuit against Mr O'Brien about, I believe, a book Mr O'Brien wrote.
Yeah, I know, probably TMI, but as I've said many times in the past, [citizen] Trump has been a face in NYC media for decades....
@#13 ... Tell me what else he could have been referencing. ...
So you now want me to substantiate what you have asserted? That seems odd.
I'd proffer that if you make a statement, that you should be the one who needs to substantiate that statement, that it is not the responsibility of the audience to substantiate it.
But that's just me. :)